Thursday, April 24, 2008

Foolish Second Round Predictions

So, I went 4-for-8 in my first-round predictions. Nothing to brag about, but still .500, which is just a passing grade in most North American schools.

Apparently, my Jedi powers are out of practice. It doesn't help that we haven't had a terrible new Star Wars movie in a few years.

Montreal over Boston - Boston, as they'd done all year, played a lot better than most anyone expected. Milan Lucic is simply a monster (He'd kick Godzilla's ass), and the Bruins earned full marks for taking this series the distance.

Pittsburgh over Ottawa - I predicted 7 games, and gave the Sens way too much credit. That team was broken, and was never really in it.

Philly over Washington - Who knew Daniel Briere and Vaclav Prospal would be such forces of nature? Who knew the refs would put the whistles away (except when they caught Tom Poti) and ignore the cheap crap the Flyers were getting away with? A great series, but with the wrong victor.

NY Rangers over New Jersey - As I mentioned before, I gave the Rangers far too little credit for their choking style of play, and Sean Avery was a b!tch for the Devils to deal with.

Detroit over Nashville - Hey, give Nashville props for winning 2 games. I didn't think they would, and they showed Detroit's weaknesses for all to see.

San Jose over Calgary - One more game than expected, but Calgary is one of the few teams that can match up to San Jose's physical play. Kiprusoff is not a money goalie, but Iginla is definitely a money player.

Colorado over Minnesota - I went with my heart, and got burnt (again, as usual). Colorado has found the fountain of youth, and it's scary.

Dallas over Anaheim - I guess Anaheim never was truly able to get it all together, and Dallas just choked them to death. Quite the shocker ... even moreso than the Rangers over the Devils.

SECOND ROUND

Let's keep this short and sweet.

Philly over Montreal in 7

The fact that Montreal had such trouble with Boston doesn't bode well for them against the even-more-physical Flyers. Montreal is very much a finesse team, and their defence is also quite small.

Now, if the refs were doing their job, I'd expect the Flyers to take oodles of penalties, and the powerful Montreal Power Play to rip Martin Biron a new asshole. Unfortunately, we're back to the old style of officiating, and that is why I'm picking the Flyers.

Penguins over NY Rangers in 6

Malkin and Crosby are both emotional players, so I worry about them being able to ignore Sean Avery's antics. They've done OK before, but the playoffs bring about a lot of tension.

That said, the Pens seriously outclass the Rangers offensively and I think the Rangers lack of depth will be apparent in this series. As long as the Pens goaltending doesn't suck, they should have this series.

Detroit over Colorado in 6

It is scary that the Avs have found the Fountain of Youth. Peter Forsberg, Joe Sakic, Adam Foote, and Jose Theodore are all playing a lot better than we'd expect.

That said, I don't think the Avs have quite the physical aspect to their game that is needed to pound the Wings into submission. The Ducks and Sharks and Flames match up well to Detroit. The Avs? They are outskilled in every department but goaltending.

Sharks over Dallas in 6

This will not be a fun series to watch. Lots of checking, and little scoring. I'm still not big on Dallas, despite beating the Ducks, and I think the Sharks, while maybe a bit tired, are going all the way.

The Rangers' lack of depth? The Rangers are much deeper up front than the Penguins. Great mix of experience (there's what, 7 Stanley Cups there?), youth (Dubinsky is a superstar in the making, and Dawes is a future 20-goal man, at least), and of course one agitator supreme (but people forget he can score, too). The weak link is Hollweg, but he can be replaced with Prucha if you want some O from the 4th line, or Orr if you want an enforcer (but he's still injured, I think).